Farmer aiming to make most of Superbike chance

Keith Farmer is to get an early opportunity onboard the Tyco BMW Superbike at Assen. Photo: Ian Hopgood

AFTER a frustrating crash at Cadwell Park during round eight of the Pirelli National 1000 Superstock Championship, Keith Farmer is determined to regain the initiative in the title race at Silverstone.

And he knows if results go his way this coming weekend and during the two outings at Oulton Park a week later, he could have the championship crown sealed before the Superstockers sit out Assen at the end of the month.

While his rivals take a break from the action at the Dutch round, not so Farmer, who has been given an early opportunity to ride the Tyco BMW Superbike that weekend.

And should he do well, which will be a huge ask as he won’t be afforded the opportunity to test the big bike beforehand, he will, should everything go to plan in the Superstock championship, get another outing at the season finale at Brands Hatch.

Accepting the chance to ride the Superbike at Assen is a gamble for Farmer but he’s weighed up the pro’s and con’s and has decided to either sink or swim!

“I’m looking forward to it,” beamed the Clogher racer, who last raced in the flagship class in 2016. “It’s a great opportunity, but it looks like we won’t get any testing before that, which is no good but it’s one of those – I’m going in with no pressure on my shoulders.

“It’s a chance! One way to look at it is, if I go to Assen and have a really strong weekend and everyone knows I’ve had no testing and I do well, then that’s mega because it will make me look really brilliant and everyone will want me!,” he joked.

“On the flip side, though, if I go and do really poorly and struggle all weekend, then no-one’s going to want me, so I’ve had a long think about it and it’s an opportunity I can’t refuse!”

Last time out at Cadwell, things started brightly for Farmer, even though he didn’t have the feel through the rear tyre he’d ideally want. Despite that, he qualified on pole and after some more fine-tuning during warm-up he believed the bike’s sweet-spot had bee found ahead of the race.

Despite dropping back to fourth, behind Ballinamallard’s Josh Elliott, early on, he soon climbed back up to the head of proceedings before a minor mistake, which saw him clip a kerb, sent him into the gravel.

Although disappointed to drop a potential 25 championship points, he was fortunate to find himself just five points off top spot at the end of the weekend, which has left him in a positive frame of mind ahead of this weekend’s outing, which will take place on Silverstone’s National circuit, rather than the GP track.

“There’s three points scoring chances at Silverstone and we definitely need to finish the first part of the 100 mile race, so we can finish the second part!,” he explained.

“We need to be careful because the pressure is on, especially with the chance to ride the Superbike at Assen and, if I have a 25 point lead after Oulton, at Brands too, but we have to be wise and get the job done.

“But it would be really nice to get the chance to ride the Superbike at Brands!,” he concluded.